BBR

That's probably the case. I was just mentioning the "big name" guards that fans had been clamoring for over the off season. I don't think any of the others on that list I put up are signing until training camps start, some might wait until after training camps to see which teams have a dire need due to injuries or sucky players. Some might just say F-it and retire. No coach is going to go out and say Player-A on the team sucks so bad we really need Player-B but he won't get off the couch until midway through training camp so we'll just string Player-A along until then just in case. Their job is to blow smoke up everyone's ass until they have the replacement in position.

One thing all of these guys have in common... is that none of the other 31 teams have signed them either. That's pretty much every FA "guard" I've heard mentioned for the Bengals. The only one that lots of people mentioned that they did "miss out" on was Mekhi Becton.

It sounds like the new budget amended the Art Modell law. They could now move within the state of Ohio without having to offer the city a chance to purchase the team. This is how the Haslam's are going to move the Browns from Cleveland to Brook Park. So.... Columbus Bengals?? NBC SportsOhio legislature clears path for Browns to leave Clevelan...Legislature opens door for Browns to move to Brook Park.

Saw something about Njoku asking him for his jersey after a game last year. Claims that he's Njoku's idol or something. So it's just Joe respecting another player on a different team.

Yeah, but that contract is something like 20 to 25 percent of his total NFL earnings prior to signing it. Kind of an odd position that he's in. Sooner he's on a team the better off he is vs. waiting and hoping for a better deal after an injury or something. One year, prove it deal where he's betting on himself and it's on a team where he will get a lot of playing time. It's about the best case scenario for Pratt this year.

How much trade value does a soon to be 29 years old linebacker from one of the league's worst defenses usually have? Especially one that is obviously disgruntled with the change in his defensive coaching staff and requesting a trade. Prior to the draft, all you were likely to get is something along the lines of trading him and a 6th rounder for a 5th rounder. They simply waited until they drafted his replacement and then saw his replacement in OTAs while hoping someone else ended up with a dire need at linebacker. There might be teams that want him (ex. Colts, Cardinals & Raiders) but they don't have an extreme need for him that would require giving up anything. This one wasn't about money or play-time. It looks like he's not a fan of Al's or Al isn't a fan of his and he simply did not want to be here. Not every coach is a fit for every player, so the only thing one can really complain about is the timing of the release. That was dictated by the start of mandatory minicamp which is June 10-12 this year. So instead of fining him and having more bad PR, they finally granted him his wish.

That's funny as hell.

I agree with your thinking, but how is that working out with Trey Hendrickson's deal? From the player's side - he shouldn't sign a deal like that. BTW, the eagles way would be to give him a $45M signing bonus, salaries of $1M and tack 3 void years onto a 3 year contract to spread the hit out across 6 years. Then redo the contract in 3 years to converty the remainder to a bonus and then repeat the process. I'm pretty sure that the NFL owners have been discussing whether or not to stop this tactic as it might be violating the "integrity" of the salary cap.

Why do you keep bringing up this age thing like it matters.... TJ Watt's Birthday = October 11, 1994 Trey Hendrickson's Birthday = December 5, 1994 You are talking about a difference of 55 days. The age thing in this comparison is a complete non-factor and I've pointed it out to you before but you keep bringing it up like Watt is several years older - he isn't. That 1 1/2 month difference isn't changing anything for their deals or careers. You can go on and on and on about what TJ Watt or Micah Parson's are expected to sign for - those deals don't matter one bit until they actually do sign them. You can not negotiate Trey's deal based on what fans and media think other players will eventually sign for. That's bad business. Based on age and play though - Parson's will definitely get the bigger contract as he should. He's younger and has undeniably been a much better player for the first 4 years of his career than Hendrickson was. You also skip over the funny money part of deals when they are brought up - like the last couple of years of Garrett's deal that are inflated. The Bengals don't typically do that with their contracts. Garrett's deal is only for around $31M-$32M for the first couple of years but you want them to use the $40M avg for their negotiations with Hendrickson. Garrett is not getting the full contract value as it's been laid out by fans and media. He will be cut, traded, or renegotiated with before the last 2 years of his contract. Trey is not getting a backloaded 6 year long contract just so him and his agent feel good about it. I think this is what Katie was referring to when she said: "I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at". If the reported deal offered really was $28M-$30M plus escalators, then he probably should be happy with that considering Garrett's deal over those same years is for an average of $31M-$32M. Nobody is giving Trey the huge singing bonus that Garrett got - mainly because then he'd be right back the next year complaining about his base salary. Your complaints about the contracts given to the receivers ignore how team friendly Tee Higgin's contract is. You have complained about it repeatedly but it's actually a total win for the team. You also complain that they should have signed them to lower contracts earlier (they tried to do exactly that) but you're upset that they managed to do that with Trey Hendrickson. That's a contract that he willingly signed and that he was very happy about at the time. Now he doesn't like it. Trey has a contract. The team offered him a new contract that is in fact a raise. He can play on the old contract, sign the new contract, or bitch and moan while he sits out and they fine him. He's ended up publicly complaining about every single contract he has signed. Granted, he has outplayed every contract that he has signed with the Bengals but that's on him and his agent. Eventually he won't be able to do that and it's on the Bengals to hedge their bets on when that actually happens. So I can see how the team is frustrated with him. My guess is that they want Trey for the next 3 seasons. I don't doubt that they believe he deserves a raise. So their options are to sign him to a 2 year extension (which he has publicly said he doesn't want because it's too short / doesn't guarantee enough) or let him finish the current contract and tag him for two years (they lose cap flexibility but pay him avg of top-5 contracts) and then let him go via FA. At some point, he's going to have to come to grips with that and so are you.

Margus Hunt was 26 years old when drafted. Shemar Stewart is only 21 years old. Some of the physical traits and the similarity in comments about both of them as prospects is a little concerning. Hopefully Stewart turns out to be a far better player though.

Carter has all the potential in the world and could turn-out to be exactly what BJ was saying... Great - he's good at taking on TEs but like I said above, he struggles against guards which is expected with the size and weight advantage so heavily in favor of the guards. That's not going to be his job anyways. From: https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Barrett-Carter-LB-Clemson Scouting Report: StrengthsUnleashes controlled chaos in the run game, consistently staying square to the line while sifting through traffic to find the ball with natural instincts Fires downhill like a heat-seeking missile, showing explosive burst through gaps and natural timing when attacking the line of scrimmage Takes on blocks with serious pop in his hands, consistently jolting tight ends backward before violently disengaging to pursue Brings the thunder as a tackler between the tackles, showing consistent wrap-up technique and driving through contact with bad intentions Natural feel for working through traffic, using quick feet and leverage to slice between blocks without losing momentum to the ball Shows impressive range flowing sideline-to-sideline, eating up ground with long strides and closing burst to the perimeter Effective blitzer with natural timing and burst, consistently catching protection schemes off-balance with his acceleration Disciplined eyes in zone coverage, maintaining proper depth and showing awareness of route combinations developing around him Scouting Report: WeaknessesStruggles to disengage once offensive linemen lock onto his frame, particularly against guards who can match his power at point of attack Shows some hesitation diagnosing play direction against teams that utilize heavy pre-snap motion and misdirection Can get caught flat-footed in man coverage, allowing separation at the top of routes rather than staying in phase through breaks Sometimes takes circuitous pursuit angles to the ball, creating extra space for runners to exploit in the open field Will occasionally overrun plays from the backside, creating cutback lanes by getting too aggressive flowing to the ball The other sections of that draft profile point to something that could be a lot of fun to watch develop. There are definite reasons to be excited about him as a player... Draft Profile: Bio Barrett Carter's journey has been marked by consistent excellence rather than overnight stardom. A decorated five-star recruit who earned Maxwell Football Club's Defensive National High School Player of the Year honors, Carter brought a rare blend of offensive and defensive prowess to Death Valley, including a 197-yard rushing performance in his final state playoff game. At Clemson, Carter evolved into a defensive chess piece for Dabo Swinney's squad, amassing 254 tackles and establishing himself as just the fifth linebacker of the Swinney era to earn multiple All-ACC selections. His versatility shone through in 2022 when he joined elite company alongside Butkus Award winners Nakobe Dean and Isaiah Simmons as recent Power Five players to record double-digit tackles for loss, multiple sacks, interceptions, and forced fumbles in a single season. Carter's senior campaign solidified his legacy as he earned Butkus Award finalist honors while captaining the Tigers' defense. His iron man durability was showcased through 838 snaps - the most by a Clemson linebacker since Ben Boulware in 2016. Throughout his career, Carter displayed a unique ability to impact every phase of defense, becoming the sole FBS player during his tenure to accumulate at least 30 tackles for loss, 20 pass breakups, and three interceptions. Scouting Report: Summary Carter projects as an impactful early-down linebacker who can develop into a three-down role with technical refinement in coverage. His explosive burst and natural feel for navigating the box shine brightest when he's attacking downhill, suggesting an ideal fit as a MIKE or SAM linebacker in an aggressive front. His most natural NFL fit will be with teams employing multiple defensive fronts that emphasize linebacker aggression in the run game. Defensive coordinators will appreciate his ability to stack and shed tight ends while bringing serious thump as a tackler. While he'll need development in man coverage assignments, his immediate impact will come as an enforcer against the run with special teams value. Look for Carter to make his mark early as a base defense linebacker and special teams ace while developing his coverage skills. His ceiling will be determined by how quickly he can improve his man coverage technique, but his floor as a punishing run defender and blitzer makes him a valuable addition to any defensive front seven needing youth and explosiveness at the second level.

Money is the ultimate piece of leverage. He either plays for them or gets fined and loses money. I could even see them suspending him and trying to fine him if he pulls that BS you're suggesting which would cost him even more money. He has a contract and they can and will hold him to it if he is so dead set against the new contract he was offered by the team. The idea that he has more leverage than the team because he can half-ass it this season and still get paid on a better, long-term contract next year at age 31 (32 in Dec) with lower stats is nonsense. At his age, half-assing it is a really bad look for him and a tough sell for the future team / GM / owner. The retirement stuff is just posturing by him and his agent. I would totally call his bluff on that if I were the team. A future team also has to account for him having complained about his contract every year with the Bengals - even when he wasn't able to renegotiate based on NFL rules. He complains, signs a new contract, then complains, signs a new contract, .... Look at the cash payments for Garrett. 2025 - $24,796,125 2026 - $32,500,000 2027 - $42,703,875 2028 - $24,796,125 2029 - $40,000,000 2030 - $40,000,000 2031 - Void 2032 - Void 2033 - Void It's really a 4 year contract. He's likely to get cut/traded/renegotiated prior to 2029 - depending on how things go. I doubt they are paying him that last $80M for 2029 and 2030. Especially with him carrying a $64.9M cap hit in 2028 - if they have to, they will renegotiate the contract and add more void near nonsense or something else that the Bengals don't do. So Garrett's 1st 4 years of cash payouts on that contract is an average of $31,1999,031 which makes the Bengals offer to Trey of $28+M based on escalators and other likely to be earned bonuses look far more reasonable than what it's actually portrayed as in the media. Note: I am not an NFL cap / contract expert, so I could be misunderstanding some of this stuff plus the cash payouts, guarantees and bonuses obviously aren't known by the public for the contract they offered Trey.

Almost all linebackers under 240lbs. are going to get labeled as someone that struggles with blocks in some way. It's one of those lazy draft profile comments that are always made. If you actually expect a 230lb. linebacker to be tossing around a guard that is 320+ lbs. once they get locked up with each other than you're awfully hard to please. So those comments are just fluff in my opinion and I don't pay much attention to them. The main reason he went on day 3 of the draft is because Linebacker is currently a devalued position like running back. Only 4 dudes were picked before round 4 this year. There were 6 guys picked as linebackers in the 4th round and another 5 in the 5th round.

No. AFAIK, if he "retires" for the full season, then the contract would sit waiting for his return to the NFL. All that would do is essentially lock-up the amount of his contract which the Bengals would need to account for. They would then just roll it over to the next season's cap. If he "retires" after 10 or so games and came back, they would then be able to tag him if they wanted to. He wouldn't actually be retired until he filled out all of the paper work, filed it with the NFL and NFLPA, Team, etc... He would then have to apply for reinstatement to the league at which point he would once again be a Cincinnati Bengal unless they reach some sort of agreement. I don't know what would happen if he came back after the tag deadline though. Again, he has less leverage in all of this than the team does.

I think the O-line will be better. I'm actually a fan of the Fairchild pick. I thought he was the 3rd or 4th best LG in the draft (him or Millum) and the other two guys were 1st rounders so they get incredible value. I think Cody Ford will be the RG and do a decent job. So I'm not down on the O-line at all. The defense needs help. Who knows what it will turn out to be like. It should be better without losing pretty much all of the DTs to start the season. The rookie linebackers are probably going to get abused for a while - kind of expected though. I'm actually not against keeping Pratt if they can mend the fences and get him onboard. Don't think it's happening though. Not overly excited by what they're putting out on the field for safeties. The drop-off is fast and steep there if anyone gets injured. Defensive ends are a mystery right now. As a unit, they could be awesome but they could also be straight shit too. Doesn't matter though. This team will go as far as they can ride the offense and that side of the ball could be special. My concerns are mostly about coaching and preparation. It's that simple. Start winning games to begin the season and I'll stop worrying about the first few games being total duds.